The mound of sheets started shuffling about, while the life it enveloped came back to consciousness.A moment later, a light brown snout emerged from under the sheets. It sniffed at the air, prudently, then opened up in a teeth-filled yawn.Peanut’s torso started to come out, while he stretched, fists serrated, grinning with pleasure as his back arched and vertebrae popped. He stood there, still half-covered, on all 4s, and sniffed at his left arm, then his right one. He vaguely remembered being nestled against a bear or something that size. It surely smelt like dog. Like a female…“Oh, you’re awake. Good.”His attention was drawn to the door, toward the source of the booming happy voice. His tail started bumping against the mattress. “Oh, hi Colombina!” He had gotten to know all members of the human/animal teams of security during his visits.“Hi to you, new guest,” the Tibetan Mastiff said, walking in with a warm cup of milk. She sat down on the bed and offered it to the smaller dog. “Wanna? Just made.”Peanut wanted to say no thanks, there was a mess hall…and then his stomach decided it couldn’t be left empty one minute more since coming here, punishment or not! The Canadian Pointer mix followed suit and grabbed the cup. With loud gulping noises, he drank down its content. “I think I burned my tongue,” he said with a big smile while giving the cup back. “Thank you. Cookies?”Colombina hugged him, making his bones creak. “Aw, ain’t you the cutest?!” She then stood up and walked to the kitchenette. She came back with a plate of still warm cookies smelling like butter and honey. “It’s so good to have that farm, now we’re never out of fresh—“ the munching sounds interrupted her. She realized the cookies had just disappeared.Peanut was there, looking at her with embarrassment, his cheeks swelled up like a hamster’s and crumbs all over his lips. “Guuw?” he mumbled.Colombina laughed. “Well, at least your spirits are up, pup! Now leave, hop hop! I’ll clean up. My shift’s in an hour.”Peanut abandoned the bed. “Sorry for the mess, and…thank you. I mean, the apartments at the Dormitory are cool and all, but I needed some company.”She made a waving motion with her paw. “Shush, as if I didn’t know that every new guest needs some comfort the first night. I am just happy to provide some. But tonight you sleep in your room, get it?”“Sure, big mama!” Everyone knew she loved to be addressed like that. She did feel like a mother towards the ones she had volunteered to protect. Only another Security member was as much ferocious and that was Tisiphone –but Tis was a harpy eagle, being mean was in her DNA--They knocked at the door. Peanut was already there before he finished saying, “I’ll get it!”He had just the time to open it, before finding himself yanked abruptly out by the collar.“I need information,” Volant said, staring with cold determination into the blue eyes. His breath smelled of caffeine soda. “How many issues left in the series? Has the identity of Jaykyll been revealed? It was really him (or her) who murdered Danny’s family? H.I. Benson is still writing and illustrating the comic? Don’t you interfere, Colombina!”Peanut grinned. “So…you liked Devil Dog? Anyway, yes the series is ongoing. Twenty more issues since the last hardback collection. I can’t and I won’t spoil anything about Jaykyll. HI is still working on the comic, but there are rumors that he’s gonna keep the writing while someone else will do the illustrations.” There was no questioning the true fan’s insanity in Volant’s voice when he said, “I won’t accept ‘no’ for an answer, mutt! Jaykyll is my favorite villain, and after surviving the last battle he can’t just get back to do some generic evil deed! A final confrontation must be prepared! Perhaps he’s Danny’s brother, right?”Peanut just crossed his arms and turned his head away. “No way.”For a moment, Volant looked as if he could actually hit Peanut…then he released his grip on the collar and hugged him instead! “Bravo! The true fan won’t spoil, mutt! Thank you, it’s been so long since I liked the bad guy and the good guy!” Still holding Peanut by the shoulders, he said, “Now we go watch the animation! You, I, and a ton of popcorn!”Peanut said, “Err, do you really want to do it? I mean, you’ve been up all the night to read…”Volant nodded several times. “Five times. Learnt it by heart. Made promises of peace to get soda. Can’t go to sleep now. Need toon.”“Well, perhaps it’s not the best idea, right after reading the comic. The toon is PG-13—Ack!” He was lucky his arm didn’t get dislocated after Volant started pulling him.“I can imagine that! Humans are wussies, wonder how they climbed up the food chain to the top. You got me involved in this, you watch it with me and laugh at the censorship!”“Not that I had anything special to do anyway. I can recommend you—““I’ll accept only anything related to the comic. Alternatively, anything where the hero beats up savagely the baddies. I can’t believe I missed such a gemstone.”“You’ll like the Pridelands books, then—“Volant led him to the Dormitory. They stepped into the elevator. “Too many people. Crammed. I want one kicktail against the world! Easy, bloody, furry—““Guys.”The big dog stopped. Peanut slammed against his back. “Ow. Hi, Mr. Bill,” he said, rubbing his nose.Bill was an intimidating specimen of human, when he was all business. Even if now he was the shelter’s director and no longer a cop, his jaw wasn’t something you wanted to mess with. “Peanut, you got visits. The Head Office. You know the road.”Peanut wondered why the somber face, but then he saw that the human’s attention was all for Volant. He decided not to cause problem. “Okay, Sir. See you later, Volant!” He ran off.The Rhodesian Ridgeback tilted his head. “So, boss? Why the long face. I was a good doggie this time.”Bill was glad that, at least for what hierarchy was concerned, this rascal respected his position. And despite the fact that Volant had been a handful and a half, the visit from that funny green Terrier had…brought up a side the poor creature desperately tried to keep hidden to the world.Bill wished he hadn’t to say the words, but he had no choice, given the current laws. “You too have a visit. Room 3.” He hesitated before saying, “Your first owners have come to claim you back.”---‘Head Office’, namely the office of Martin Foster, owner of the shelterPeanut hoped it was good news, and with Uncle Martin it usually was, but…he couldn’t help thinking about Volant. Bill rarely looked gloom. He still remembered the two times Fox had been kidnapped, or when the bad bad dogs had come to the Gardens. Bill had been angry, then, but most of all he was scared –a feeling he had otherwise never shown.Today was the same thing. Aw, poor Volant! Every time there was something wrong going—Lost in his thoughts, Peanut had walked out of the elevator and from there straight into Martin’s office. Right enough, the man was there, and with him there were…Fido, Bino, and Horace Norton, Babylon Gardens’ Police Chief.Peanut blinked, unsure of what to say. The humans were on their feet, the dogs sitting. Bino was keeping his eyes away from Peanut, apparently focused on a spot on the pavement.“Ah, here you are,” Martin said, his face crossed by that friendly smile that was his trademark. “Please, don’t just stand there. We have some news for you.”Peanut walked in. “Uh… Hi everyone?”Bino scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Is that the way to greet the Chief of Police, you—“Before Peanut could say ‘sorry’, Norton said, “That’s all right, officer Bino. He doesn’t wear the uniform, after all. Now, didn’t you want to tell him something else?”Bino was wearing his K-9U jacket, and it looks as if he was wearing a sheet of lead. “Ah, I’m sorry,” he mumbled with the thinnest voice.“We didn’t hear you,” Norton said.

“Yeah, they didn’t,” said a voice from over Bino’s head. A voice all too familiar. “And don’t bother to talk back to me, they can’t hear me or see me, unless one of them had a near-death experience or is familiar with the spiritual world. And yes, those two dogs fit the requisites, if that short, surprised look means something. And yes, I decided to keep you company after all: I was getting tired of waiting for you behind an empty Scrabble table. Which is a really awesome table if you ask me.“So now be a good pup as you promised me you would be and apologize to the nice cat lover. Or no soup for you!”

Bino cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for acting like a total jerk to you, dishonoring the uniform and causing you to…react badly.” His nose still hurt and not only at the memories of that event. “Please, forgive me.” There passed a minute filled with a heavy silence, before Peanut said, “Of course I do! You deserve to keep your job, you worked hard for it, I know it. In fact, I am sorry for…overreacting. A good dog doesn’t hit a cop dog. Can you forgive me for that?”Norton and Martin exchanged a look and a smile. “Told you, Chief,” Martin said. “That guy couldn’t hold a grudge even if it was injected in his veins.”

You sly, foxy dog! Bino thought with the hot fury of a volcano. So now you turned it against me! If I don’t smile and be all good and nice, they’ll throw my jacket away and probably impound me here!“*sigh* we have to work a lot on your ruggedness, buddy,” Mod said. “Now come on.”

Bino nodded. He stood up and placed his paws on Peanut’s shoulder in a convincing gesture of friendship. “I forgive you, mutt. And please accept my invitation to the Pizza Palace. Both our families, to seal the peace. Friends?” he offered his paw. At least, he was good ad PR.Peanut shook gladly. “Friends!”Norton cleared his throat. “Good! Now, there remains only one small detail to take care of: both of you have acted irresponsibly and you know it. I am glad that you admitted it like mature dogs, but you must meet the consequences of your actions. Now, I have talked with your owners, and they agreed that you two should work as volunteers here at the shelter. One month, every day, 9am to 6pm, a one-hour break for lunch. Mr. Foster here will make sure you don’t cheat, or I will not be so lenient, next time. Questions?”Quickly Peanut raised his paw. “Does this mean I can go back to my family now?”Martin nodded. “Sure. Just be here tomorrow at—“

“GRAAAAAPE!!!” Like a shockwave, the cry made all windows of the building tremble.

“My money’s on him outrunning the bus home,” Martin said, massaging his ear. Then his face went more serious. “Now, sorry, I have another urgent meeting and make sure it doesn’t turn into a bloodshed. See you tomorrow, Bino.”The police dog saluted smartly. “Yes, Sir!” and he left, followed by Fido.

“Who is…that?” the older brother asked, once they were into the elevator.“Watch your mouth, beefy monster,” the ghost-mouse answered, “or I’ll come haunting you into wedding a nice doggy lady.”Bino just kept staring at the door. “Fido, meet Mod, Spo’s ghost grandfather, if you really want to know. And please ignore him. No questions, okay?”“Relax, I have learnt to keep my curiosity at bay, when it comes to supernatural. Did I tell you what happened, when I opened the Jar of the Six Destinies, after mistaking it for a jar of cookies?”Bino blinked a couple of times, staring at his brother. A weird image was forming in his head. “You tried…to eat a destiny or something like that?”Fido made a face. “In my defense, it tasted delicious. And then I spent the following weekend incarnated in the body of an ancient dire wolf warrior. I think I courted a female, but Sabrina was very understanding.”“Now I don’t want to hear any more of it.” The doors opened and the dogs walked out. “And why are you smiling, now?”“Sorry, bro. I speak from experience: it’s impossible to ignore a mouse who doesn’t want to be ignored, and if your friend is related to Spo, you’re in for a long-lasting friendship.”Bino groaned. “Don’t I know it.”“Hey, c’mon, don’t take it the wrong way!” Mod put his paws against his chest, with a solemn expression. “Think of yourself as Dr. Pierce and me as one of his imaginary friends. I can even change aspect to make it more interesting.”Fido chuckled.Bino hanged his head low. “You just keep being an annoying mouse and—“ Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. “Say, you said you wanted to be useful, right?”“That’s my definition, buddy.”Bino smiled in a way that, again, worried Fido. “I must introduce you to my son, then…”---Visits building

Martin’s cart stopped outside the green construction. Bill and Volant were still there, as he had instructed.The man got off the cart and walked to Volant. Without hesitating, he kneeled down in front of him and caressed his arm. “Volant, unfortunately I cannot avoid them meeting you. But I can come up with something to postpone it as long as possible.” He nodded. “I can be quite creative.”The Ridgeback turned his head toward the glass door. “Just tell me one thing, human.”“Yes?”“When that Lundberg female will win…” He drew a deep breath, and then he looked back at Martin, with an expression that promised a world of pain if the answer wasn’t straight and honest. “Tell me that what happened to me shall not happen again. Tell me that I will be no longer a toy in your hands.”Martin hugged him, softly. “I will personally make sure of that. Just a few months, Volant. Just a few more months, and then you’ll be a citizen. You will own your tormentors. And all of their possessions.”The big dog returned the hug. “Heh, hoping we’ll be in time.”Martin frowned. “What do you mean?”Volant broke the embrace. “Just tell your ferret friends to hide their savings. They’ll be needing them.” He turned, just in time for the glass doors to slide open and reveal Volant’s first owners.Celia and Thomas Milton.

Wonder if he'll like the Silver Fang Legend? (it's a manga about dog living in the wild...if it were made into a movie, Primo and Spike might even star in it)

did you mean Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin (Silver Fang: The Shooting Star Silver) or it's sequel, Ginga Legend Weed (Silver Fang Legend Weed) or maybe both.I haven't read either but I've seen people on Tumblr talk about it. and I only knew it was what you meant because of the subject matter since I only knew the Japanese titles.

_________________I'm a shape-shifter. I'm currently in whatever form I feel likeParadigm Shift by meI do not actually believe any of what I'm saying.RP character sheets

Sat Feb 16, 2013 3:07 pm

kavviyenta

Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:01 pmPosts: 269Location: close to DC

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Technically both since they have an Akita Inu as the main character and a German Shepherd as the foil. Lot of action even though the author admits it isn't much due to dogs not having prehensile limbs so it would be a big difference in housepets especially with ninja doggie.

Ginga Nagareboshi Gin and Ginga Densetsu Weed were both made into short lived anime series.

Or at least I know for a fact GDW was. Though you’re probably right, a character like Volant would probably be a fan.

It’s got Koga ninja dogs, K9 assassins, legendary bear-hounds, tyrants, and a genetically engineered K9 bio-weapon all thrown into a militaristic feud over land that will dictate a future of either freedom or tyranny. What’s there not to like??

Though since Housepets has its own original fictional franchisees, I imagine there’d be similar though equally interesting shows/movies/comics to be considered. I even had one which I never got quite around to using. :/

They got aboard. “Uncle Bob, this was quite a surpr—“ he saw who also was sitting with the old man. His jaw fell and he went pale as he started to emit a weird wheezing sound, “Hhhhhhhhh.”Archer wasn’t one to be easily impressed, himself, but the presence of the tall, blue-eyed, white-haired man was an unexpected occurrence to him.“Hhhhhhh,” Edward wheezed.Jericho turned to his guest. “My apologies for his behavior. Youngsters, you know.”“I get that a lot,” said the man, a crack of a smile appearing on his gaunt face.Eventually, Archer elbowed the human. Edward croaked, “Gottschalk.”“That I am.”Jericho kept the casual, smiling expression. “Eddie, my boy, as you can imagine by now, I came personally to pick you up because I have a special assignment for you, under the direction of our new contractor.”Eddie gulped. “I’m going to work for Gottschalk?” Jericho nodded, then to his guest, “Care to explain yourself, Sir?”The young man was dead tired, still thirsty, hungry and the adrenaline rush was wearing off. But he couldn’t be more awake as the man produced a USB key and handed it to him. “Here you will find all the specifics, and a list of your colleagues. They have a similar one themselves, so that no secrets are hidden to each other. Archer, Mr. Pope, are you aware what a nuclear fusion reactor is?”Eddie nodded, but it was the dog who answered, “The ITER, a joint-force project set in Europe. Energy from the fusion of atoms. Major breakthrough in the sustaining energies field.” At Eddie’s surprised glance, he answered with a scoff. “So? I like to read Pet Science, sue me.” Eddie thought, it came to reason that a man like Gottschalk would invest in that thing…and cared to protect such an investment. He smiled. So they were going to Europe, eh? Not bad, not bad as assignment at all!Gottschalk nodded at the dog’s words. “What do you know about River Ridge?”Eddie’s mind pictures of Paris and Italy went into pieces with loud ripping sounds. “River Ridge is a nothing in the middle of nothing!” He answered/blurted like a baby who had just been stolen his candy. And when he saw his uncle’s face turning into a single dark frown he felt just like a baby in for a bad scolding –one golden rule at SFS was, you would never, ever speak ill of an assignment. Especially in front of the client. Especially in front of the world’s richest guy. Especially in front of Jericho Blaine. Even blood ties had their stress limits.Edward immediately took off his beret, revealing the curly black hair. “Sorry, Sir. Honest to Dog, sorry.”Gottschalk seemed amused. If that was a good sign or not, it remained to be seen. “You seem well-informed, Mr. Pope. Will you answer my question, then?”“Ah, River Ridge, Tennesse, born around a gold mine, made enough cash to grow into a medium-sized city. It made some extra when the Government opened the Truman Energy Research Labs, and a few years after those closed, business flourished again with the new First National Energies Research Labs. Two notable pet-friendly communities, Babylon Gardens and Terrace High, the Lucky Charm Grove for the Abandoned and the Ferals shelter and a farm. Lot of fancy stuff, but nothing worth of—“ somewhere in his mind, at last, what he had just spoken clicked into a rough equation. “You got an NFR there, at the FNERL.” It wasn’t a question.Gottschalk just nodded imperceptibly.Even Archer was impressed: it testified to that human’s ability, to be able to hide something like that from the media radar. Heh, perhaps the very first well-kept secret for a project with so many people and money involved. Conspiracy nuts would love it! “Government’s involvement in this?”This time Gottschalk shook his head no. “We have their blessing, and that’s it. The new political class is very annoyed that realpolitik be still based on pacts with our enemies or potential so. My company is offering a chance toward independence, they jumped at it. But failure will fall on my shoulders only, just to give Middle East and Russia a signal that this was the idea of an eccentric megalomaniac.”Edward chuckled. “In this case, there’ll be a long wait for the show. What’ll be before the breakthrough, Herr Gottschalk? Twenty years instead of thirty?” He looked at his scowling uncle. “Is that the top assignment you think I wanted? Getting bored all day driving around a chimera until I get old? Okay, fine, I’ll do it since I guess you already signed the contract for me without even caring to ask, thank—““Actually, no contract has been signed yet,” Gottschalk interrupted him, with that cool voice that worked better than a whip.“—you?” Edward finished, looking like a deer frozen by a truck’s lights“I need ten highly specialized, trained and motivated animal/human teams, each team with its unique field of expertise and background. You will all be my first line to protect the FNERL, the elite corps, with a higher clearance respect to the other guard teams. I expect infiltration, sabotage, terrorism…the whole lot, in many forms.”“And you need a driver for that?”Gottschalk looked at Archer. “I need someone who can terminate a target inside the facility without recurring to firearms. This dog is second to none for this job. While you, Mr. Pope, can drive nearly anything with an engine. Did you try any Space Shuttle?”It took a couple of second for the young man to realize the question was serious. “Ah, not yet. I mean, I score great points at the simulators but the biggest thing I flew was an Antonov—““Mil-Mi 26?”Edward nodded. “I got that as well, in Russia.”“Good. Now, the job you are going to accept…”Eddie almost scoffed. What was this crazy (incredibly rich crazy) guy saying? No one put his feet over Edward Pope Jr. and— “Sorry, care to repeat?” he wasn’t sure he had gotten it the first time, lost in his thoughts. He saw Archer facepawlming and Uncle Bob looking at him as if he wanted to skin him alive and slowly. “Sir.”“Its name is Prometheus, and it’s not a prototype in construction. It is a very working reactor, and it is going to be operative by the end of the year.”Edward felt a little fuzzy.A working reactor. An effing nuclear fusion reactor.This was bigger than life, man! This was as if someone had come to the Congress and announced the New Industrial Revolution, yes now you can adore me and give me your women thank you.Boring job? ‘First Line’ didn’t convey it, if he accepted he was going to have a target tattooed on his body. He would be easily cut off from everything, no friends to talk to, no family to talk to…heck, how good was security in that place, if they had achieved to keep it hidden to the world?!And, speaking of family… “Uh, Gottschalk Sir, I…” he hesitated. “How much will I be paid for this?”The man told him, and added, “Front.” Edward felt a new dizzy spell hitting –even with one third of that amount, he could easily pay off any family debt and retire to a life he had dreamt of so far!Only then did he remember he was still holding the USB key in his hand. He opened his fist and looked at the tiny object.“Any attempt to copy those files and/or modifying the content,” Gottschalk warned, “will destroy the key and infest your terminal with a…fairly good virus.” The way he said that, it was clear what he meant. “Access to the files is granted upon signing the contract, then you have 12 hours to read them and memorize them before they self-destruct. A helicopter of your company will carry you to destination. You understand that, once you sign the contract, you are cut off from the rest of the world. Your calls will be filtered, your privacy will become nonexistent.” By now, those deep blue, almost violet eyes were burying into Eddie’s very soul. The young man felt himself shrinking. “Failure will be dealt with harshly, Mr. Pope.”In a terrible moment of clarity, Edward understood and nodded. He looked at his uncle.Jericho was smiling again. “Just like you wanted it, nephew: a top-notch job, the man’s stuff as you use to say so frequently. And it comes with risks, as you may have noticed. So, feel free to give back that key and you’ll keep your job as it is, but remember: no more whining.”Not that Edward could ‘whine’ about anything, should he accept. His duties to the memory of his father would have to wait for…how long? Years? Obviously his job wouldn’t be over when the switches would be turned on…No private life, which meant that his colleagues would know about his past, what he had done before working for SkyFall Security… Ok, not that he was supposed to work with smiling happy people himself. Probably half of them had done things that made Archer look like the puppy of a nun!“If he refuses,” Archer said, “I can join in anyway?”Gottschalk nodded and handed him another key. “Be my guest.”The dog took it and grinned at his partner. “Wussy.”And that did it! Eddie just said, “You got yourself a new team, Sir.”

_________________

Thu Feb 21, 2013 4:24 am

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 18864Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

*Whew!* got it last! Only four tries before putting this online.The original problem was, with so MANY awesome characters, I needed the one team who could interact with all of them and explore them without recurring every time to the 'shopping-list' effect. Just like Peanut and Grape are, for me, the mascots of my ficcie.And so we can start with this particular team, which just fits the position, so thank you Honorable Intentions! Once again you got them right for the job Next chapter'll be longer as I'll need to introduce the rest of the gang, my only shopping list in this episode, promise!

And, YES! Rick Griffin honored me with a special effect

_________________

Thu Feb 21, 2013 4:27 am

EvanAierkan

Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:45 amPosts: 221Images: 2Location: Up north

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

Late comments on the last chapter: Colombina taking care of Peanut was pretty adorable. Would be funny though maybe a bit ooc if Grape would get jealous over the fact that Peanut already cuddled with someone else on the very first night there. Volant getting excited about the comics was also interesting, maybe this way he'll get more likable in my books.

"I need ten highly specialized, trained and motivated animal/human teams, each team with its unique field of expertise and background. You will all be my first line to protect the FNERL, the elite corps, with a higher clearance respect to the other guard teams. I expect infiltration, sabotage, terrorism…the whole lot, in many forms.”

I feel like the underling meaning Gottschalk was saying when he said this was, "The files on the animal and human teams in this USB are some of the most deadliest and effective teams out there."

You know, I really can’t help but imagine that Dasco would annoy the holy Hell’o out of Marcus. You’ve got a die-hard cynic and a patriot with typical Marine enthusiasm. That’s more than just fuel for competitive tendencies. Heh.

valerio Wrote:

Even Archer was impressed: it testified to that human’s ability, to be able to hide something like that from the media radar. Heh, perhaps the very first well-kept secret for a project with so many people and money involved. Conspiracy nuts would love it! “Government’s involvement in this?”

At least now I can appreciate thoroughness when I had the chance to update his profile. Transitioning from a place like S-4 to FNERL sounds like it’d be a relatively smooth change of pace.

You know, I really can’t help but imagine that Dasco would annoy the holy Hell’o out of Marcus. You’ve got a die-hard cynic and a patriot with typical Marine enthusiasm. That’s more than just fuel for competitive tendencies. Heh.

I can see that. Especially considering Marcus is Ex-Army Ranger and Ex-Academi (PMC Firm) which many think are mercenaries, which they walk the fine line of being. And Marcus has been in the military (including PMC) for 9 years.

It's like take members of ever special forces in the world and telling them to work together. And most of them being Americans, under the leadership of British SAS officer or something.

just to make it clear: I'll have to post a resume of all the new members, to quickly introduce them to the new readers, and that will more or less cover the next update, then it will be time to introduction to each other.So, don't get TOO bored with the next chapter *hides*

“Sandwiches?”At the question of the 20-year old man laying sitting on his bed, a laptop over his leg, the black-coated Greyhound/Norwegian Elk Hound mix answered, “60 assorted sandwich all accounted for.”“Beverage?”“Water. And nothing else.”“Aw. Come on, Archer, this deserves some good Italian wine at least!”“I’d rather see you lucid while you sort through the personnel files of our future colleagues.”“You’re worse than my uncle.”“He saved you from alcoholism, Edward. Be grateful that I am not like him or you’d be missing a piece of your butt by now.”Edward waved the words away. “Yeah, yeah, hooray and all. But he still confined me in this room until we leave. And without paying me for the latest mission!”“Be lucky you’re still alive. You breached at least ten protocol issues, back in the helicopter. Seriously, you acted like some rookie, and you know I hate that!”“Cry me a river, buddy. I still am one heck of a driver. Now let’s see who are these top dogs we’re going to share the wage with…” He took the USB key Gottschalk had given him hours ago. His body wanted to sleep, but his mind knew better than that. He was too excited to think about sleep. He and Archer were going to be part of effing history, Guard team to the very first functioning nuclear fusion reactor!While inserting the key inside his terminal, Eddie said, “Not even the soldiers of Project Manhattan knew what they were guarding. To them it was just a big laboratory, a playroom for a bunch of eggheads.”Archer gave him a puzzled look. “Are you seriously comparing this to a facility to test and develop a nuclear bomb?”“Hey, it was history, pup!”Archer rolled his eyes. “I’d rather think about the human/K9 teams guarding the site launch for Apollo 11. Now, that was history to be proud of, surely not preparing mass destruction.”The drive activated. A moment later, a PDF document opened.“That research brought us to this very moment, dear.” Edward and Archer read the contract carefully. Language was plain, simple, clear. Basically, you did a good job and you may get out reach like a nabob. You messed up, and you better be dead.Archer noticed one weird detail. “Here it says I am your property, from now on.”Edward read that again. Yes, once the contract was signed, Jericho Blain would pass ownership of Archer to Edward. “Guess it’s a way to cut any contact with this organization,” the young man commented, but wasn’t convinced.“Think it will be a problem?” Archer asked. “For you, I mean.”Edward took his digital pen. “Please! We’ve seen a lot together, buddy, and I wouldn’t want anyone else with me. Ready?”The dog took his own pen, and together they scratched carefully their signatures on the touchscreen.The terminal bleeped while at the same time a bar reading ‘sending contract’ appeared and disappeared.Then the e-document disappeared and a folder appeared in the middle of the desktop. A folder with no name, just an anonymous icon.“Did you expect a fanfare trumpet and flashy effects?” Archer asked.“Dunno. When Herr G said ‘The files in this USB concern some of the most deadliest and effective human/animal teams out there’, I thought the terminal could bite me.”Archer groaned. “I wonder why they chose you of all people…” He guided the mouse to the folder and clicked it open. “Here.”Nine multimedia icons appeared. Archer clicked on the one named ‘Chance’. “Feel lucky.”The first picture showed a dark grey, almost black, ordinary cat. In his eyes, both Archer and Eddie saw that he was no pampered pet. This was a warrior, well reflecting the hardness in the eyes of his human partner. “Wonder what a cat could do in this force,” Edward asked distractedly, while munching his sandwich.The caption read, File 01, Chance and Clayton Whitaker. Field of Expertise: Infiltration, Sabotage.“Now you know.”Chance, formerly known as Mikhail Stavos, was given as a gift to Russian Ambassador Vladimir Stavos, from the Afghanistan government. Vladimir kept the cat with him as a good-luck charm, until an IED took his life and nearly killed Mikhail.The cat was rescued by a group of ferals belonging to an animal independence movement. He was raised by them, and learned the fine arts of infiltration and looting. Without any military training, Mikhail became very proficient at analyzing and evaluating the environment he was moving in, in order to maximize his objectives.Soon, Mikhail became a prominent figure in his organization. Unfortunately, one poor choice of target caused Mikhail and his group to be discovered while looting food and weapons from a USSOCOM camp, mistaking it for a low-level security settlement.Former USSOCOM Captain, Clayton Whitaker, was among the forces that discovered and surrounded the intruders. He was in charge of security, and intimated the ferals to surrender. The ferals actually tried to surrender, when three soldiers opened fire and killed all of them in cold blood. Mikhail was severely wounded. Which explained the two scars, one on his left arm and other on the chest, close to the heart. Clayton rescued Mikhail, the only survivor. Later, once he had made sure the cat was alive, he left the force, on the ground of both being an inadequate commander, and to protest the lack of ethics in his men. He was discharged without benefits, and adopted Mikhail, now rechristened Chance for this second occasion.Both Chance and Clayton moved to Babylon Gardens, where they kept exercising under the supervision of Clayton’s friend, Keith Greyfield. Greyfield made sure they got an occasional help to keep a dignified lifestyle up to the neighborhood’s standards, until his superior Martin Foster told him he needed several animal/human teams for PROJECT PROMETHEUS.“Well, not one who got the best of luck in his life,” Archer commented while reading the rest of the data. Chance would come with a complete kit for espionage rather than weapons. The dog was fairly sure, though, that Chance would make for a formidable opponent if someone was fool enough to corner him –but that may prove irrelevant, since he had a highly-trained marine by his side. “And yet, he turned his adversities into occasions to perfection his talents. I like him.”“Then I guess you’ll like a lot of them,” Edward said. “Unless some of them was chosen because of bloodlines.”Archer laughed. “Aw, you already feeling small and inadequate?” his fingers went to the screen, to open the next file, regarding a female Anatolian Shepherd and an African-American woman wearing a black suit.Iris and Sarah Beckett, Field of Expertise: Intelligence, Covert Operations, Tactics.Iris Beckett, formerly Iris Pond, had spent her first four years as neighbor of Sarah Beckett, then a NYPD Officer. No relevant events, until Iris happened to be on a crime scene, a robbery with shootout, involving Sarah. Sarah had been wounded by one of the criminals. Iris had come to the Officer’s rescue and then she had charged into the shop, where she easily neutralized any resistance despite lacking any training.Iris was awarded with the North Star for supreme commitment of an animal in defense of law and order. She was later taken in by the NYPD to complete training as an officer. After one year, Sarah and Iris joined CIA and were eventually inserted in the SHADOWLINE program. Assigned to PROJECT PROMETHEUS as counter-intelligence specialists.The dog portrayed in the picture was trying to appear serious, but her eyes were those of a proud, happy dog. Sarah was definitelyone fine-looking woman, athletic, tall, with her ponytail and hazel eyes. “So pretty and so lethal…” Eddie was almost drooling. “I hope she’s not engaged.”“I doubt you’d survive a date, if you don’t keep your mindclean,” Archer said. “They scored high in multiple martial arts.” Let’s hope the next will smother your hormones…” judging by Eddie’s expression, it didn’t.And to say that the Caucasian woman in the picture was quite far from the elegant CIA agent. This one was tall, but robust, built more like Wendi Richter, with black long hair. A man-killer, if there was one!“You worry me, mister,” Archer shivered. “But I would like to see you try your luck with both.”Eddie snorted. “Yeah, as if you'd have a chance with that babe,” he pointed at the dog’s picture, a female Canis Panther mastiff –now talk about toughdog! She looked as if she could bite a deer in two!Sodina “Andy” Panderov and Catherine ‘Cathy’ Panderov. Field of Expertise: Hand-to-Hand Weaponless Combat.Cathy Panderov, daughter of Andrew Panderov, former KGB’s First Chief Directorate resident agent in Washington DC, right hand of Alexander ‘Fomin’ Feklisov. He was discharged as part of an exchange of spies between USSR and USA after the Cuban Missile Crisis. He moved to Brooklyn, where he married in 1965 with Jennifer Gonzales. They had one daughter, Catherine. Jennifer succumbed to post-partum depression six months later.Andrew took full care of his daughter, training her, teaching her everything he knew. Note: due to her father’s influence, Catherine learnt to see her mother as a weak person. She was raised to count on herself only.Andrew died of heart failure on Dec. 2002. Since then, Cathy has lived off her inheritance and working as security guard at the JFK Airport. No relevant events until, in 2007, she met a stray dog during her shift. She managed to convince the dog to follow her home rather than being impounded. The dog was rechristened Sodina. Catherine trained Sodina just as her father had trained her, and nicknamed her ‘Andy’ after her father…“A CIA spook and the girl of a KGB spook…” Eddie whistled. “And we’re not even halfway down the list. You know, Archie? I’m beginning to like this ‘First Line’ thing.”“Who’s speaking? Your hormones or your brains?”“Ok, guess I deserved that, sorta… Anyway, I mean that we’re not going to work with boring people.”“Not that this job is made for boring people,” Archer commented. “And stop calling me Archie.”The following file showed a Bloodhound and a muscled, lean man with a deep tan. And a big friendly smile, despite his spook-a-like looks. The dog had a patch on his left eye and his left ear was a stub. Flare and Fredrick Nelson. Field of Expertise: Explosive Devices–Localization, Defusing, Assembling.Both elements showed an innate talent for explosive since their younghood. Flare was a 1 year old pup, the mascot of Austin Police Department, when the patrol car he was riding in had to secure a car accident scene. He took the initiative of lighting up the road flares, thus earning his name. Later on, when he joined the K-9 Academy, Flare proved himself the best in the bomb sniffing and defusing course.Flare was assigned to CoA Regional Bomb Squad Officer Fredrick Nelson. Together, they managed to thwart four terrorist attempts before volunteering in the US Marine Corps Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Unfortunately, during transferal to their first assignment they were caught in the explosion of a land mine that destroyed their vehicle. Flare lost his left eye and left ear, and he was put on discharge. Officer Nelson followed him, and later on they joined the FBI Hazardous Devices Operations. Since then, they earned their highest ranks as Special Agent Bomb Technicians...“I guess you’ll know who to call, next time you’ll set up the Sunday grill,” Archer said at the end of the file.“Har-de-har,” Edward grunted. “You still eat what I cook, do you?”“I never criticized your cooking. I just state that you need some expertise with the hardware.”This time, it was the human who tapped on the screen. “Hmm, will you look at that.”Archer frowned, while his eyes ran over the data. “Is that a joke?”“Apparently not. They wouldn’t be on the squad, otherwise.”Archer read again the file about a Bulldog/Labrador mix and a human who was the age of Edward. Lance and Jake Torrance. Field of Expertise: None Applicable. Both candidates show a high degree of adaptability to whatever discipline. Their IQ is measured in 210.Lance was adopted by the Cordwaine family to be trained as a guard dog at the Charming Heights Farm. At the age of 3, Lance escaped from what he called an abusive condition. He was later adopted by Ronald Lines, and when he was 8, both joined the USF Iraq as volunteers. There, Lance started displaying his value as an unusually smart dog and proved himself a precious member concerning tactics, analysis, logistic informatics. Due to ranking system, Lance couldn’t raise himself over the rank of Sergeant Major of the K-9 Corps, but he was unofficially given a high level of clearance.His career ended when Ronald was Killed In Action during an operation on which Lance had participated in elaborating. Feeling responsible for the demise of his friend, Lance suffered a case of depression and was eventually discharged. Not having an owner, he was impounded.Since then, in the following five years, Lance changed ten owners and forty jobs, mainly in the field of investigative intelligence. His personality always deemed unfit for a stable family relationship or a job.The latest human to adopt him, Jake Torrance, recognized in him the same intellective qualities that had made Jake’s life that of an outcast. Mistaken for an autistic, Jake spent his early years in a relative social isolation, studying at home and developing virtual social interactions. After his parents passed in a car accident, Jake used his inheritance and skills to rebuild his life and rejoin society, although displaying a minimum of his skills to keep friends rather than estranging them.Right after graduation, Jake worked to join the Babylon Gardens Police Force, soon becoming its youngest members at the age of 19. He was sent to work at the informatics crimes division, where he rapidly collected a series of successes.Five months later, Lance was transferred to Babylon Gardens to assist Jake. They worked together for one month before Raimund Gottschalk contacted them and asked them to work at PROJECT PROMETHEUS…“Just great!” Archer commented, sighing like a martyr at the sight of the cross.Eddie took another sandwich and bit into it. “What?” he asked, while munching. “They’re two friggin’ geniuses. And one of them got military training. It’s awesome!”Archer rubbed his temples. He pointed with both arms at the screen as if indicating something disgusting. “They’re rookies! I mean, not the dog, but the human! Bet he’s never done anything harder than choosing a donut! And what kind of genius is one who sits all day in front of a monitor?! Plus he suffers from social disorders… And both have never worked together long enough to be called a ‘team’! Please, those guys will be our first weak link in our force!”Eddie just smiled at him. “Wanna call it quits…wussy?”Archer growled horribly. “Watch it, hairless ape: last warning!” He almost broke the screen upon tapping open the next personnel file…This time, Archer smiled. “Now that’s more like it.”The pictures showed a male Paka Mwitu, an African wild cat breed, and a tall blond woman with short-cropped hair and piercing blue eyes, the cold eyes of someone who had smothered her very soul –a veritable Valkyrie!Eddie completely agreed, although his dreamy expression suggested…another reason for that. “How can be a woman in uniform look so—Owchie!”Archer retracted the claws he had used to pierce into the young man’s thigh. “I was tired of just asking you to be ‘professional’. Now, read.”Jean-Claude Amar Asad and Elsa Olsson. Field of Expertise: Scouting, Sniping.Amar was born in Butembo, D.R. of Congo. His family used to travel from place to place to keep themselves out of the conflict ravaging the country, until his father was drafted into Uganda People’s Defense Force. Amar’s father was Killed in Action, Amar was later recruited into a Hutu militia as part of a deal to keep his mother out of harm. Nevertheless, the deal wasn’t respected on the humans’ side, Amar’s mother was killed and he later sold his ‘superiors’ to a Hema militia. It was then that it was discovered of Amar’s photographic memory and he started working under better conditions with the Union of Congolese Patriots.Amar’s social status, though, never rose above the feral he was. His superiors were soon replaced by other militias, and other fighting groups again. Eventually, Amar lost any thought of loyalty: he was working to pay his own food, when he wasn’t busy surviving the petty violence brought against him and his kindred by the very humans they worked for.When the French-led forces came to take control of the situation, Amar reported to the MONUC headquarters and asked for asylum, in exchange of all precious information he had collected through the years. When he was asked to enlist and be assigned a handler so to become his/her pet upon retiring, Amar accepted.He was assigned to Elsa Olsson, 1st class Sniper, Armed Forces Medal of Merit. Elsa led an uneventful life until she was given Heinz, a German Shepherd Dog bought from a German breeder. Elsa spent the best of three years making friends with him and eventually developing a very strong bond. It was not much later that Heinz was killed during an attempted assault at his master. This caused a massive trauma from which Elsa recovered by shutting down all emotions.After completing her studies, Elsa joined the Military Academy and soon developed her skills at sharpshooting. She soon became first in her course and was sent as part of the European Forces in oversea missions…“And it was in one of them that she was assigned to Amar,” Archer read aloud. He was positively impressed, and he had good reason to be! He was the closest thing to a sniper, himself. He appreciated the spirit, the firmness, the attention to every detail… A good sniper was the most lethal weapon in an army. It wasn’t just training, it was a state of the soul!Edward nodded, as if reading his canine partner’s mind: There were excellent snipers working for SkyFall, and each one of them cost like five good combatants. This woman and her cat weren’t just a team, they were like one entity, each trusting the other with their lives, each devoted to one thing, and their success was the end of a life. No mercy, no remorse, no grief.Archer opened the next file.“Aaand back with the softies,” the dog said.A Giant female Black Schnauzer and a stocky bald man. Not exactly the kind of dog and human you’d call ‘softie…until you read the file. Natalie ‘Navy’ Bean-Jones and Caleb Jones. Field of Expertise: Negotiation, Hand-to-Hand Combat.Natalie and her cat sibling Ritchie ‘Rice’ were raised by psychologist Geoffrey H. Bean as part of a collective social experiment to improve integration of animalkind with humankind, in the pet-friendly neighborhood of Radiant Gardens. They wore specially-designed full body clothes and were encouraged to psychologically dissociate from their condition of pets.During their younghood, Natalie and Ritchie were put aside in the eyes of their human parents in favor of a newborn baby. They compensated by developing an attitude of vengeance against injustices. This led Natalie and Ritchie to commit small-scale vigilante actions as ‘bully-hunters’, as they claimed themselves to be.Eventually, their actions had progressed to a level in which they were dangerous to other animals. Upon realizing this, Natalie and Ritchie reconciled with those they had hurt. Later, Natalie joined the K-9 Academy. Her basic knowledge of psychology helped her to specialize as negotiator. After graduating, she was assigned to Officer Caleb Jones.Caleb Jones, former Marine, retired on the basis of psychological trauma after, during a mission in Buwara, he accidentally killed a leopard in self-defense. Since then he specialized in the nonlethal forms of attack and defense, preferring tactics and negotiations over direct combat. He personally taught Natalie the use of blades as weapons of choice…“Softies my heck!” Eddie scolded Archer. “Man, sometimes a hostage situation can’t be just resolved with guns and arrows, you know? Not to mention that a shrink can help understand an enemy better than just a strategist.”Archer gave him an impish grin. “In our line of job, Eddie dear, did we ever solve a hostage crisis through the use of nonlethal force?”Edward *beeped* the dog’s nose. “Do I have to remind you, Archie dear, that we don’t want a hostage crisis to degenerate inside a nuclear plant?”The Greyhound mix shrugged. “Meh. Point taken. So, let’s see who’s next in—“ His eyes shrunk to dots as soon as the cartel revealed its contents. “Wammola!”Eddie felt a shiver running down his spine.The human was an Apache of the Navajo tribe, and armed for bears. Ok, having a trained Native American could be awesome, Edward respected those people like no one else… But if half of the file was correct, the animal paired with him was, well…“Big son of mama,” Archer muttered. He was wagging! Eddie had never seen him wagging. It said a lot, indeed.The animal of this team was a wolf. A male Timber Gray Wolf…a monster of a wolf. Measuring 6’ 6”, 225 lbs. of pure muscle, his body scarred by many battles, he looked as if evolution had decided to take a step or two backwards toward the Dire Wolf, the ancient perfect assassin!For the life of him, Eddie couldn’t imagine himself nearer than 20 feet to that creature. He was actually scared that the image on the screen could jump at him through the monitor and sever his head with one slash of those sharp claws… In fact, seeing how many weapons he carried on his body was somehow…funny. That thing didn’t need any weapon!Marcus ‘Lone Wolf’ Forge and Damien ‘Runs with Wolves’ Forge. Field of Expertise: Extreme Termination, Survival.Marcus grew up in the Apache reserve, trained since puppyhood by his own biological father, Maximus, a K-9 cop, retired member of the Special Ops Teams of OPERATION: WETWORKS.Archer and Eddie exchanged a glance, silently, as if fearing the creature on the screen could hear them thinking. Wetworks, the darkest shade of black ops! Programmed termination. No prisoners.Edward let out a croak/chuckle. “I’m beginning to think that Herr Gottschalk is being quite serious about this Security thing…”Archer nodded. They kept reading.…Joined US Military at the age of 4, and was assigned Damien Forge as handler. He spent four years in the Army Rangers, rapidly climbing to the rank of Master Sergeant. He was honorably discharged and refusing the offers from several PMF/PMC he had applied to on the grounds of insufficient wage and benefits, much of which destined to his family and reservation after Maximus’ death on the line of duty.Eventually, Marcus joined Academi (previously known as XE Services/Blackwater) both for the payments and the quality of job offered. Damien followed Marcus in order to cover the legalities about an animal having a handler.Marcus and Damien worked 5 years for Academi, until Raimund Gottschalk convinced them to accept a far more paid job as security for PROJECT: PROMETHEUS…The rest of the file was an impressive list of items Marcus liked normally to use for his job–from bladed weapons, through tomahawks and ending with the M32 grenade launcher. Not to mention he keeps in shape with weightlifting, parkour and free-running…“I want to be his friend,” Archer said, wagging even harder now.Edward looked at him as if the dog had gone nuts. “And you mocked me about ‘dangerous interests’? I think that the only friend that monster has wears a black robe and carries a scythe!” The file about Damien was, on the other hand…well, normal. Survivalist, good soldier, excellent instructor, had taken a special care in Marcus, trying to improve the wolf’s social skill…and failing miserably at it. The only closest thing to a ‘bond’ they shared was mutual respect for watching each other’s back. They were a team, in the most professional sense of the word.Eddie rolled his eyes. “Fanboys. Now, let’s see the last before you start sending embarrassing email to that guy…”The dog of the final team on the list was…well, definitely big, as dog standards went. But even a King Shepherd/Doberman mix couldn’t compete with a dire wolf. A thick-coated walking shadow, a strange combination of power and sleek, the dog measured 6 feet, definitely the second ‘monster’ of this force. His human partner was not one to be left behind, on the physical side.“Why does this guy look familiar?” Archer asked, narrowing his eyes.Dasco and Rusty Jacks. Field of Expertise: multi-environmental combat, recon, intelligence.Dasco was bought by the US Military Forces as part of a breeding and training program to create high-level, self-sufficient K9 soldiers. Dasco met all requirements, excelling in Schutzhund and K-MAADS. After an extensive shift in Middle-East, he was moved as watchdog to the most secured, top-secret installations, such as S-4, Area 51, Dulce Base…“I know what you are thinking,” Archer said. “Drop it, if you value your skin.”Eddie just shook his head dumbly, his eyes glued to the list of assignments. “Nuh-uh. That guy has seen. He knows.” He sounded like a religious zealot who had just seen an angel. “I love him.”Archer sighed theatrically. “Eddie, we are not supposed to talk about our assignments to anyone, and probably no one of us went to such places! That guy worked to a much higher level of security, he’ll probably bite your ears and tongue if you ever mention something to anyone, ever. So just let it go…”Eddie scrolled down the file with quick gestures. “I want to see why he stopped working for awesome. Must have been threatened by the Greys or something…” Nothing that dramatic, as he found out soon.…wounded during an attempted sabotage during his shift at Area-51. A bullet hit his mouth, destroying his front teeth. Nevertheless, Dasco managed to secure the saboteurs. He was insigned with the Navy Medal of Honor, first canine in history of military since Rags the Terrier…“That’s why he looked familiar!” Archer said. “Wow, this guy’s *the* hero. He must have saved something or someone definitely valuable for getting such a decoration.”“Perhaps he saved the life of an Alien ambassador!” Edward offered. The worst thing was, as Archer could say by the voice, the human wasn’t kidding!Archer decided to keep reading, if not for the sake of his patience. …discharged due to his wounds. His trainer, Rusty Jacks, adopted him and helped him recover from the trauma of becoming a civilian pet. Eventually, Dasco’s teeth were replaced with titanium implants, courtesy of Raimund Gottschalk, who offered, in return, to work at PROJECT:PROMETHEUS… What followed was the usual list of abilities, weapons and paraphernarlia. Nothing really spectacular, although both members were definitely above average when it came to training. Archer had the nagging suspect Dasco had been asked to join in virtue of his contacts. His file said that he still had clearances open for the facilities he had worked for, which meant his discharge was a formality, a smokescreen.Which raised an obvious question: was there something more about this Project Prometheus than Gottschalk had said? Or, rather, what kind of surprise was in store, when you needed a connection with other secret projects?“Interesting times await us, my friend,” the dog said…

_________________

Last edited by valerio on Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:49 am, edited 3 times in total.

Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:23 am

valerio

Game Master

Joined: Mon May 25, 2009 6:53 amPosts: 18864Location: Italy

Re: HOUSEPETS! THE SERIES Official Thread

*whew* the hardest part of this update was recapping the awesome CS I was given for this group! Recapping and editing in several parts, so those who have contributed please give it a read and tell me your impressions. In some cases, I had to edit in order for the animals to have the necessary requirements to work in such an assignment.I think it came out less boring than I feared.Right?

Wow, you did some stellar work on the OCs you got. The resumes fit each down to detail, and flatters the strengths and histories for everyone. Way to keep the contributors hooked.

It’s interesting to see the modifications you made to each character to better suit the plot, in particular their backgrounds. Spare for nit-picky things like Dasco’s breed, you obviously wasted no effort on these guys.

I also really enjoyed that update. I see how you changed Flare's background a little bit, but i think that improves his look and appearance to others a lot. Great Job! Now i just can't wait to see these very different teams meet for the first time.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!! *is excite* Excellent modifications to Amar's background. Happy they have garnered the respect of Archer. (Eddie sounds like he's going to get beaned a few dozen times in the near future )

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum